Editorial | So much to do. So little time.

When the Kentucky General Assembly returns Monday from a 10-day hiatus, the schedule calls for members to do nothing but override any vetoes Gov. Steve Beshear might issue between now and then.

We certainly believe they should do more since many important issues remain.

Whether it's pension reform, tax reform, military voting or redistricting, Republicans and Democrats have dug in on either side of the issues.

But we still have hope and here's what should happen:

? The two sides should come together on pension reform - and identify a way to fund it.

The state pension system is broken in part because past legislatures have refused to adequately fund it. It's unfair now to make new state workers fully pay for the changes with reduced benefits and the legislature needs to step forward and identify new sources of revenue to make sure the system is solvent.

If the reforms are passed without some sort of funding mechanism, we fear that a funding mechanism will never become law, either driving the pension programs further into debt or leaving the governor forced to cut other programs to pay for for the short-term costs that pension reform will incur.

Senate Bill 2 is important and needs passage now, but to do it without funding it would be a mistake.

? Pass the Senate version of Senate Bill 1, the military voting bill.

Undoubtedly, Kentuckians serving in the military should expect their votes to count and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has made an exemplary effort to pass a bill that would allow them to vote by computer while serving in other states and in other countries.

But, alas, too many questions remain at this point as to whether a secure system can be built that will protect votes and the anonymity of voters.

The bill, as it passed the Senate, would streamline the process for obtaining absentee ballots. That should be enough for now.

There are no scheduled elections for this year and no presidential election for more than three years. Legislators should take their time, get it right and try again next year.

? Allow the House redistricting bill to die. House members came late with a plan that fundamentally changes the way people are counted for redistricting purposes.

It's unwise to make major changes like those included in House Bill 2 without proper time to discuss and debate those issues.

? Put an end to the so-called AT&T bill, which would allow land-line telephone companies that are considered "carriers of last resort" to abandon those lines if they can prove there is competition. AT&T has suggested it won't invest millions of dollars in Kentucky unless the state waives a law requiring landlines be maintained.

The problem is that cellular phone coverage is spotty in rural areas, especially in mountainous Eastern Kentucky (If you've ever driven Ky. 15, you'll know what we're talking about) and Senate Bill 88 doesn't provide enough protection for folks who live in those parts of the state.

? Approve Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark's appointment.

Her confirmation appears to be hung up over Senate Bill 3, which would allow religious-based, health care cost-sharing programs. Approve that, too, with the committee amendment that requires participants be given notice that the programs may be Ponzi schemes.